Wednesday, May 28, 2014

A Fight for Change: The Hundred Days Reform

China
during the 19th century was a relic of its former glory. Once the envy of the
world, the Chinese Empire, under the Machu Qing Dynasty, had fallen into
corruption, decadence, and hardline conservatism. Twice, China was beaten by
the combine forces of the British and the French and forced to sign many
unequal treaties. These treaties forced China to give several concessions and
humiliating surrender of sovereignty and territories. During the last parts of
this century, reforms meant to reform and modernize the whole Empire. The
reforms were opposed not by the so-called foreign devils, but by those who were
from the inside of the imperial court. For a hundred days, the fight was on for
the future of imperial China.

The
hundred days fight for reform took placed from June 11, 1898. Emperor Guangxu,
the young Qing Emperor of China saw the need to modernize and reform most of
his backward and outdated empire. Much of the need was brought when three years
ago when the large and largely populated China was humiliatingly defeated by
the smaller archipelagic Empire of Japan. Although defeated by the Japanese,
the Emperor saw them with envy for their efforts to resist western imperialism
and rise to equal them as well. The Meiji Reformation allowed Japan to powerful
and modern, and this what Emperor Guangxu wanted to emulate.

The
Emperor sought the aid of some liberals within his empire. Kang Youwei was an
intellectual who was a champion of reformers and loathed by conservative
hardliners. At the early 1898, Kang inspired the emperor not just with the
Meiji Restoration of Japan, but by other examples also. He told the Emperor the
exploits of Peter the Great and his quest for westernization and modernization
of his Dark Aged Empire. The example further inflamed the Emperor’s desire to
remake his Empire. Kang helped to draft the decrees of that would shake the
foundations of China. On June 11, 1898, Emperor Guangxu announced decrees that
would make his dream into reality.

The
reforms decreed by the Emperor were not just reforms but a start of a
revolution. A revolution to radically change the old fashioned and backward
China. For example, he wanted to change the ancient civil service exams, from a
test based on knowledge of Confucian text to a test based on practical and
useful subjects. In governance, he sought to enhance the bureaucracy of the
empire by removing several useless offices both in government and the imperial
household. For the economy, he wanted to modernize China by sowing the seeds of
a Chinese industrial revolution. The emperor wanted vigorously to change China
for the better.

The
decrees received the support of liberal writers and officials. Much of
those who helped to implement the reforms were students of Kang Youwei.
Students of Kang such as Liang Qichao advised the emperor about reforms that
should be conducted. Other liberal reformers such as Yang Rui, Liu Guangdi, Lin
Xu, and Tan Sitong were placed in various offices to make sure that the reforms
were implemented.

The
Emperor had the support of the liberals, but he was opposed by hardline
conservative and traditionalist courtiers. The hardliners were tough to face
the reformers because they had the support of the most influential person with
the imperial court, the Empress Dowager Cixi. Cixi was the Emperor’s aunt. She
was the regent of Guangxu during his minority. She was very thirsty of power as
when she was regent, she literally ruled behind the throne and a screen of
silk. In 1889, when the Emperor reached majority, Cixi went into
semi-retirement, giving up the up the regency but the influence. When the news
of the Emperor’s reform reached the retirement home of Cixi in the Summer
Palace outside Beijing, she was in furious. She, above all else, saw herself as
the defender of tradition and the culture of imperial China. She wasted no time
to stop the reforms. She rallied the conservative courtiers and proposed a coup
d’etat against the Emperor.

The
Emperor got a word about the impending coup. He then sought the aid of the
commander of one of the modern units in the Imperial Army – Yuan Shikai. On
September 21, 1898, the conservative opponents of the reforms led by Cixi made
their move. Sadly, Yuan did not support the Emperor and the reformers. He
allowed the forces of the conservatives to move in and deposed the
Emperor.

The coup
marked the end of the reform movement. The Hundred Days Reform caused the
downfall of the Emperor and his allies. The Emperor was incarcerated in the
Summer Palace. He also once again became a puppet of his aunt. Cixi once again
ruled behind the throne with a silk curtain in between. For the reform
supporter, it was deadly. Supporters of the reform, Yang Rui, Liu Guangdi, Lin
Xu, Tang Sitong, and brother of Kang, Kang Guangren, were all executed and
became known as the Six Martyrs. Kang Youwei and his student Liang Qichao luckily
escaped from the horrors of the executions and sought refuge in Japan. Yuan
Shikai remained to serve in the Chinese Army. He played a vital role to final
downfall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.

The
Hundred Days Reform was a chance for China to regain its vitality, power, and
sovereignty on the midst of Imperialism. But hundreds of years old tradition
had taken roots. This root grew to become deeply imbedded to many officials as
well as within the imperial family of China. Thus when changed was needed, they
remained stubbornly stick to this ancient ways even to the cause of security
and progress. Their opposition to the needed reforms in 1898 led to the further
humiliation of China in the hands of westerners and Japan, especially, two
years later, in 1900, when the Qing Empire was once again humiliated in the
Boxer War. If the reforms of 1898 continued and became successful, a different
China could have emerged.